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As a result of new securities rules, you should be receiving annual statements from your investment advisers, showing how much you paid in dollars and cents for advice in 2016. It’s been called The Great Reveal.

Advisory fees can take a big chunk out of your retirement savings over the years. Is the service you get worth the cost? Are your investments growing quickly?

I like the idea of using passively managed index funds to get exposure to a wide variety of securities. They cost a fraction of what you pay for actively managed mutual funds.

Once you diversify your holdings with low-cost index funds, you can use some of your savings to buy stocks.

Is stock picking difficult? Do you need an MBA or undergraduate business degree to do it? No way.

I believe average people can succeed by reading a few books and newsletters, setting up a do-it-yourself brokerage account and using trial and error to develop their skills.

As someone who has managed my own investments for years, I hope to teach others how to do it. My online course at the University of Toronto starts March 1 and has six weeks of lessons.

Here’s a video where I describe the course, Called How to Value Companies & Pick the Right Stocks.

Please consider attending (the cost is $250) and spreading the word. I hope to see you online.